Reusing Cardboard Makes Kitchen Utensil Organization Cheap And Simple

We all have those drawers in the kitchen that are a complete jumble, and for many, it's the utensils. Unlike cutlery, which fits neatly into standard drawer organizers, the different shapes and sizes of spatulas, potato mashers, or whisks make them harder to keep in line. Adding just a few dividers to a drawer can go a longer way to keep your cooking utensils organized, and you don't even need to buy them. Using leftover cardboard is not only a cheap option, but it also ensures that they will be the exact fit for your drawers. 

Don't worry if you don't have any crafting experience; turning leftover cardboard into an organizer is a quick DIY kitchen upgrade that only requires the material, a way to measure it, and a way to cut it. Start by taking the internal measurements of the drawers — the depth from front to back, the width across, and the height. Cut the cardboard into strips that are a little narrower than the height of the drawers. Then cut these cardboard strips to the size of the drawer from front to back. It should be a snug fit, so err on the side of longer rather than shorter.

Once you have these dividers in place, cut another strip of cardboard that fits the width of the drawer. The final and most important step is to measure where this divider crosses the others and cut into each divider halfway. You can then slot this crosswise divider onto the others to hold everything in place. An optional but fun step is to cover the cardboard in contact or wrapping paper for a less DIY look.

There are plenty of other ways to use leftover cardboard to organize your kitchen, helping you save money and keep cardboard out of the landfill. Some of these won't even require cutting or measuring. The sturdy boxes you get with cell phone boxes are a great example of this. They're perfect for small items such as rubber bands or paper clips, and can be used alone or in combination with the DIY drawer dividers above.

Continuing with the kitchen drawers, we've found a reason to save the boxes from aluminum foil and parchment paper, as well as the cardboard tubes from the inside. The boxes themselves serve as a compact way to store those slippery silicone baking mats, and the tubes are an easy way to organize and keep your cloth napkins wrinkle free — a hack approved by Martha Stewart.

For beer fans, that six-pack cardboard packaging can go to good use when hosting a backyard barbecue. The inserts that are designed to fit the bottles or cans are the perfect size to fit bottles of condiments, providing a handy way to transport your ketchup, mustard and cutlery from the kitchen to the outdoor table.